Course objectives: To understand theory and to learn design of digital systems at transistor level. The course will involve design, layout and simulation of digital VLSI circuits using various CAD tools.

Prerequisites: Minimal knowledge of computer logic design. The students who do not have the background can still take the course, but they should be prepared to spend additional time for learning them using the additional materials provided by the instructor.

Level of the Course: The course is designed for first year graduate students.

Text Book: Principles of CMOS VLSI Design: A Systems Perspective by Neil H. E. Weste and David Harris, Addison Wesley Longman, 3rd Edition.

Reference Book:

1. Digital Integrated Circuits (2nd Edition) by Jan M. Rabaey, Anantha Chandrakasan, and Borivoje Nikolic, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0130909963.
   
2. Deep-Submicron CMOS ICS: From Basics to ASICs by Harry Veendrick, Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN: 9044001116.

Course Software: Students should have access to a computer to do the assignments and projects. The computer may be either one's own PC/laptop or a PC in general access laboratory. A student is free to choose anyone of them. In other words, a student can work on assignments and projects anytime, anywhere, using any useful software and computer. However, free lite version of the microwind and DSCH will preferably be used in this course. The softwares can be downloaded from http://www.microwind.org.

Selected Topics:

1. MOS transistor theory
2. CMOS processing technology
3. Circuit Characterization
4. Power Dissipation
5. Clocking Strategies
6. Design methods and tools
7. CMOS testing
8. System Design Examples